Volleyball

KU volleyball to play in Allen

Kansas University’s volleyball match with Denver on Nov. 26 has been moved from the Jayhawks’ usual home, Horejsi Center, to Allen Fieldhouse.

Match time will be 6:30 p.m., and fans can attend free of charge.

Allen Fieldhouse was the KU volleyball team’s home from 1975-98, and KU hosted first- and second-round NCAA matches in the historic basketball barn, drawing more than 8,000 fans in the two-day stretch.

Horejsi holds 1,300 fans, and the NCAA now requires a capacity of 2,000 seats for its host sites. Allen Fieldhouse holds 16,300. Sitting at No. 11 in the RPI and No. 22 in the AVCA Div. I Coaches poll, KU’s potential to repeat as an NCAA host site in 2013 is unclear.

But Bechard didn’t want to waste the opportunity to create even more buzz for his program and the sport in general.

“In our last opportunity to play a regular-season match at home, we’re just trying to do as much as we can to promote the sport,” Bechard said. “Last year when we did this, we had the opportunity to play in front of a lot more Jayhawk fans. We love Horejsi; it’s a special place, but I think when we have a unique opportunity for a non-conference match against a quality opponent, we have the chance to expose our sport to a bigger fan base. I think we have an obligation to grow our sport in this area and this is an opportunity to do that.”

Comments

So a huge match against KSU on a Saturday night stays in Horesj, but a match against Denver on a Tuesday goes to AFH? What a weird decision. AFH was amazing for volleyball during the tournament last year, but it'll be pretty crappy if there's 1,200 people only there.

Uhh you answered your own question Kyle. Even against K-State, Allen would probably only draw a couple thousand fans. Even 3,000 fans in Allen would seem like an empty house. On the other hand, a sold out Horesji crowd of 1300 is going to be a WAY more raucous environment than having twice that many fans in Allen. Using Allen for the Denver game will still draw a nice crowd and give the team experience for the tournament and possible hosting.